Who Is It Under The Mask? :: By Zuzana Randakova

During the Advent season, I was reading a book by Ann Voskamp titled The Greatest Gift. There was a chapter about the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

You know the story; each prepared an offering, and whose god would set it on fire is the true one. Unsurprisingly, Baal’s prophets were dancing and chanting, but nothing happened. Then Elijah called upon the Lord (he even poured buckets of water over the offering to make it even more improbable to burn), and the Lord set the bull ablaze. Wow!

At the end of the chapter, Ann suggested a few questions to ponder and to dig deeper. She asked the readers to think about “baals” in our lives, the idols we worship besides God.

I immediately thought about fear. I was (and I often still am) struggling with fear and anxiety, and it crippled my life. How many things I missed because I was so afraid!

As I was pondering about this, a strange thought came into my mind. In my native language, the sentence “I was afraid” is translated as “Ja som sa bál.” And the verb “bál” (past tense of “afraid”) is pronounced just like the name Baal! So every time I succumbed to fear, I was actually trusting the spirit of Baal rather than the Spirit of God.

But who it is, this Baal?

Remember the Scooby Doo cartoons? Every episode was the same: the Scooby Doo team was investigating some spooky monster. And when they finally caught it, they removed its mask.

And under the mask, it was always just an ordinary person.

In the same way, every false god – be it Baal, other religion, or even every false idol of our worship – is just a mask. And underneath it, it’s always the same one, the Devil.

Oh, and don’t forget: we don’t have to worship an idol just by dancing around a pole. Worship can be every activity, feeling, or a person that holds our trust and attention more than our Lord.

As Ann wrote, in every moment we either worship God or some kind of Baal.

Unfortunately, Satan is the master of deception, and for each of us he came up with different masks. You see, he knows precisely where your soft spots are, and he shoots his arrows right into the middle.

For me, I’ve always struggled with feelings of “not being enough.” I was that kid who wanted to score 101% on every test, not just for grades; I wanted good grades so my parents and teachers would be pleased with me. Friends joke that I’m a Canadian in spirit; I obey every rule because I guess I want to be a good and perfect citizen. This affected my relationship with God in the same way; I was in deep anguish of not being good enough for Him, and being a disappointment. My Catholic upbringing, of course, worsened this fear.

Finally, about two years ago, I learned about the rapture, and a whole new world was opened!

I began to read the Word and discovered the truths I’ve been missing for so long. I didn’t have to earn my way to heaven because Christ shed His blood that covers ALL sins. His imminent coming and my heavenly citizenship became my unshakable, blessed Hope that no one can steal away.

Now, since Satan could no more deceive me with the lies of not making it to heaven, he had to use something different; and yet, it was the same strategy of fear.

When he realized he cannot destroy my future, he decided to destroy my present.

He whispered, “Okay, so you’ll come to heaven. But do you really think you’ll actually receive any prize? You didn’t lead anyone to Christ! You didn’t go to Africa to feed the starving children. You did nothing worthy of mentioning. Jesus will look at you, and he will be so angry – go away, you lazy and wicked servant! In fact, you should not be happy about the Rapture. You should worry and be afraid, for this terrible judgment awaits you by the One you trust the most. You are a DISSAPOINTMENT, and He will let you know about it.”

And here we go again. It’s always the same thing – fear.

It seems the more closely you walk with God, the fiercer attacks would come; for even though he preys on every human, he burns with anger and hatred especially towards Christians. In the end, all our struggles and all struggles on the Earth and Heaven are boiled down to the ultimate fight of Satan against God. But we can choose whose spirit we will listen to and follow.

Friends, we know that the evil will not prevail, because we have this promised. So sharpen your swords and polish your shields; and when fear crawls up your heart, always remember who it is under the mask.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17).

It might be nothing new under the Sun, but this direct connection of fear to Baal (Satan in disguise) helped me to become more prepared when he attacks. Yes, there are times when I am barely holding on by a thread. These are, after all, the perilous end times we were warned of, but unmasking the enemy is the first step to victory. And then, keep holding on to the promises of the Scripture, the most effective weapon there is. He can’t stand it!

For example, that lie about not receiving anything during the Bema seat of Christ is wrong. We, who look forward to His appearing, are actually promised crowns!

And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).

Isn’t that just marvelous? I’m so excited!

And how awesome is it that the Scripture (our sword) will cut through every other lie that keeps worrying us.

Fortunately, the day is coming when we will no longer need to fight; and I’m so, so looking forward to seeing all of you one day! I feel so lonely in here…

In the meantime, God bless you, and may He be the light upon your path.

Maranatha!

Jews in NYC Take Up Arms for Protection :: By Geri Ungurean

Anyone who follows my articles knows that I fought my way through the streets as a young Jewish girl. No – it wasn’t in the streets of NYC. It was in a suburb in Maryland, believe it or not.

I was always an athletic kid, and I loved football – watching it or playing it. I could throw a spiral pass and connect with the receiver way down field. Because of this, the boys in our neighborhood fought over which team would get me as Q-back.

But not all of the kids fought over me. Some just wanted to fight me. They called me dirty Jew, Kike, Christ killer – the names went on and on. Then they would verbally attack my father, calling him a “Penny pinching Jew,” and they called our car a “Jew canoe.”

After a while, this really got to me. I was skinny… well, more wiry, but very strong. I warned the boys who continually called me these names. I’d give them one warning that if they didn’t stop – I would beat them up.

When boys did not heed my warning, I did beat them up. They went home crying to their mommies. Then, the Jew hating mothers (well, of course this is learned behavior in the home) would come out of their houses and yell slurs at me, and tell their boys not to play with the Jew girl.

When the mother would go back into the house, the offending boy would continue to play ball. But they ceased harassing me for fear of another beat down. It was the only way that I knew how to survive in a Jew-hating world.

My parents put their foot down when I came into our home looking for a baseball bat. But they did not mind me defending myself with my fists.

Does this surprise the reader? Well, it should not. Jew hated is always “in style.” Satan makes sure of that. And believe me – it was non-stop. In school, many kids, including girls, would call me hateful names and laugh at me.

Finally, our father moved us out of that suburb in Maryland. He moved the family to Bethesda where there were many Jews. It was the first time that I did not experience Jew hatred in my school. The school had an enormous number of Jewish kids.

A CONFESSION

This is the First year that my husband and I have decided to only fly the American flag out front. We have always flown the flag of Israel right under the U.S. Flag. We cannot take a chance of a Molotov cocktail being hurled through a window – especially when our grandchildren are often here.

This breaks my heart, but it was necessary at this time.

Watch Ami Horowitz interviewing Blacks in NYC:

Ami Horowitz Interviews Blacks in NYC About Antisemitism   <click here

From thejewishstar.com

New Yorker breaks subway etiquette over Jew-hating rapper

He meant it exactly as he said it

One of the fun features of the New York City subway system is that when you use cash to buy a train ticket from a vending machine, your change is returned in coins. Golden dollar coins. These days, that’s rare. The clink and clang of the coins, as they start dropping into the dispenser, provide a sense of excitement, as if you’ve won a jackpot.

On a particular ride a few months ago, among the coins I received were golden Sacagawea dollars, engraved with her high cheek-boned silhouette, carrying her infant son. These coins are larger in circumference and thicker in heft than your average coin. It feels so Old School.

I slipped them into my coat pocket and waited on the platform for my train. It would only be a short ride on the express from Columbus Circle up to 96th Street. Just as the doors slide shut and the subway begins to move, the rhythm of a rap bursts forth from an African American teenager. Here goes another subway rapper, was the look on the faces of most riders.

Now that’s a whole ’nother ball of wax — the fascinating underground world of the New York subway with its storytelling, musicality and vibe. The New York subway system is a lively sepulchral world all its own. For those of us who regularly navigate the system, there is a special art to traveling by rote; weary New Yorkers reflexively continue with whatever it is they need to do, ignoring the many unexpected and colorful stimuli that might appear out of nowhere, often including rappers or other entertainers who flit between stops and subway cars. It’s what might be called the New York “Art of Ignoring.”

An acknowledged nod here, a bobbing head there, a pressed coin or dollar into the hand of a particular performer — but overall, unless it’s out of the ordinary, no reaction. These street performers who pop on and off the subway cars carry on with their gig with the confidence and flair of Tony Award-winning actors. The subway car can be packed to the gills or practically desolate; they’ll belt out their act as though they were performing to a captive audience at a stadium with bleachers filled to the brim.

This is how the New York subway system is a great equalizer. The hipsters, the homeless, the yuppies, the affluent financiers, the broke students and the academics, the venerable and the decrepit, the flamboyant and the conservative, the old and the young, the faithful and the faithless — we are all there in those subway cars, riders apart but together.

So this young kid starts with his rap. It’s pretty extensive. The lyrics are OK but the tempo, the beat and the flow are catchy. I feel like tapping my foot. He’s young and can use encouragement. I slip my hand into my coat pocket and hold the golden dollar coins in my palm, reaching out to give them to him when suddenly I’m jolted by the words that he musically says nonchalantly as part of his rap: “[Expletive deleted] the Jews.” Then he casually continues on with his ta ta ta ta ta.

Excuse me? My cheeks flush with anger! In my life, only once before had I encountered an act of anti-Semitism, and it was overt and intentional toward me and my father, who was wearing his prominent yarmulke. And, in my life, until this point, I’ve rarely said a word on the subway.

But how can I remain quiet? Here we are. A subway car full of people. No one says a word. It’s just “[Expletive deleted] the Jews,” sure no problem. I was so upset. But as out of character as it was for me, I heard myself ask the lad: “What did you just say?” Ta ta ta ta ta, he goes on rapping.

“Did you just say [—] the Jews?” I ask, my voice rising. I show him my filled palm with the golden dollars. “You know, I was about to give you these — no one here gave you a second look — I wanted to show you support. … I’m Jewish and you just cursed my people!” Ta ta ta ta ta ta. No pause from him whatsoever.

Meanwhile, this middle-aged black lady on my left gets up and says to me, “He didn’t mean it like that; he just…” I didn’t let her complete her sentence. “He meant it exactly as he said it! What he is saying — by this time there was a round-two of “[expletive deleted] the Jews” — “is crystal clear. What if he had said [expletive] the blacks? Somehow that’s not OK, that’s racist, but for the Jews it’s an acceptable form of hate?”

I was just finishing my sentence when a black man seated nearby locks eyes with me, in support and affirmation of what I am saying. “She’s right!” he suddenly shouts to the woman on my left.

I’m in the crosshairs when the train starts pulling into 96th Street, my stop. I am shaking from the experience, taking tentative steps to get off the train, the golden coins still pressed into my palm, when the car bursts out in cheers, and some applaud just as I step through the sliding doors onto the train platform. source

Now brethren, THIS should not come as a shock to anyone:

Watch video on NYC Jews taking up arms for Protection:

As anti-Semitic attacks continue, US Jews turn to guns for protection | ABC News

Here are some headlines of violence against Jews:

Jersey City Kosher Market Attack Fueled by Anti Semitism

Trump Hater Starts fires in Jewish girls’ dorm in NYC

WE’RE NOT SAFE AS JEWS IN NYC

Chanukah Celebration Ends in Tragedy in NYC

I ask my readers this question:  Do you feel that it’s time for Jews to protect themselves in this climate of rapid Anti-Semitism and Violence?

Did you know that Hitler disarmed the Jews quite a while before my people were on trains, heading to the Death Camps?

It’s true.

I vote a resounding YES to my people arming themselves against the ignorant and satanic threat of violence toward the Jewish community. I say to them, “Learn how to use these guns to protect yourselves.”

Hire experts in training you to become marksmen/women. Perhaps a couple of top IDF soldiers!

It is said that desperate times require desperate measures.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES!!

How Can I Be Saved?

Shalom’b Yeshua

MARANATHA!!

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